Protecting What Matters Most

Children of divorce can have happy memories

One of the main concerns that all good parents have when they divorce is the impact on their children's lives and how their parents' split will affect the memories they have later in life of their childhood. Even parents who are comfortable financially and can continue to provide a good lifestyle for their kids after divorce worry that their lives won't be as happy as they should be.

It's inevitable that divorce will cause some unhappiness for children who are old enough to have some understanding of what's going on. However, with some effort by both parents, kids can end up having more good memories of their childhood than bad ones.

A key memory that usually sticks with children of divorce forever is when their parents broke the news of the break-up to them. There's no easy way to do this. However, with some preparation the two of you can soften the blow as much as possible. Fortunately, there's lots of advice out there for doing just that.

Whether you have primary custody of your kids or you only see them on the weekends, make the time you spend with them special. Whether it's a trip down to Newport, hanging out at the pool or just a day spent playing games, kids will remember these experiences fondly if they know that you enjoy being with them, undistracted by work and other things.

If you and your co-parent are able to spend time together amicably, the two of you can continue to build memories together as a family. Whether you regularly spend time together as a family or not, you'll still likely need to be together for your kids' extracurricular activities like games and concerts and birthdays. It's essential to avoid arguments and other signs of conflict around your kids. You don't want their memories of their accomplishments marred by seeing their parents bickering or giving each other the silent treatment.

With summer coming up, you may want to consider planning a special vacation with the kids. It's just essential to make sure that you aren't violating your custody and visitation arrangement by taking them out of the state or the country. If you have any concerns about that, or about what your ex may have in store, talk with your Rhode Island family law attorney.

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